The Winnipeg Children's Hospital child protection centre is a hospital-based provincial protection program that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect in Manitoba. The multidisciplinary group of professionals working in the centre differs from most hospital-based teams in that it has a strong government liaison both functionally and financially, has strong ties to the welfare system and has legal counsel relating to the court system. The centre represents the philosophy that medical participation in welfare matters relating to children need not be relegated to the sidelines. This paper describes the centre's history and structure, and it outlines some of its research projects.